I absolutely was swept away by The Memory Hunters. The premise consistently got under my skin. It’s one of those books which has haunted me ever since reading. Keep reading this book review of The Memory Hunters for my full thoughts.
Summary
Kiana Strade can dive deeper into blood memories than anyone alive. But instead of devoting her talents to the temple she’s meant to lead, Key wants to do research for the Museum of Human Memory. . . and to avoid the public eye.
Valerian IV’s twin swords protect Key from murderous rivals and her own enthusiasm alike. Vale cares about Key as a friend—and maybe more—but most of all, she needs to keep her job so she can support her parents and siblings in the storm-torn south.
But when Key collects a memory that diverges from official history, only Vale sees the fallout. Key’s mentor suspiciously dismisses the finding; her powerful mother demands she stop research altogether. And Key, unusually affected by the memory, begins to lose moments, then minutes, then days.
As Vale becomes increasingly entangled in Key’s obsessive drive for answers, the women uncover a shattering discovery—and a devastating betrayal. Key and Vale can remain complicit, or they can jeopardize everything for the truth.
Either way, Key is becoming consumed by the past in more ways than one, and time is running out.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The world building in The Memory Hunters is incredible. I just want to be transported and bask in this world. Every time I read I would find out another layer of this world. Tsai creates a world which explores the importance of memory. If we have the ability to experience these lost memories, what could that unlock? What does that say about our family, our past, our history? And what would we do to maintain that history? From the synopsis alone, you know that Key’s discovery is going to be huge, but what follows is a story which examines exactly what we would sacrifice to the status quo.
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Just from the premise alone, I love the idea of memory diving. And, like with any museum, what are the ethics of the memory diving? Early on in The Memory Hunters, Key explores how it feels a bit like you’re stealing pieces of their memories, their lives, even though they aren’t there anymore. But where is the line? We know too well the ethics involved in museums. How they twist their language to assert their righteousness for keeping pieces of ourselves, our cultures, and our histories behind locked gates. And we’ve also seen the ways they react when countries and communities ask for their ancestors back.
Overall,
I became obsessed with this almost Altered Carbon, Dollhouse, like world building and I haven’t recovered yet. Additionally, The Memory Hunters features a slow burn sapphic romance with tension that had me giggling. It’s a multi-layered series starter that has something for everyone. The characters of Vale and Key were fabulous and I cannot wait to see more of them in the sequel. If you are a fan of those partnership team dynamics, this is for you! We are asked what the line is between guardian and friend and if you’re trusting someone to be able to stop us, how can we really trust them completely?
You can tell I have fallen in love with The Memory Hunters. Find The Memory Hunters on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.